A 2023 Gallup survey found only 23% of employees trust their senior leaders. It’s not an overstatement the senior leader behaviors behind these survey data are reflections of senior team behaviors. The same survey found when senior leaders, and, by extension, senior teams, exhibit high effectiveness in leading and supporting change, communicating clearly, and inspiring confidence in the future, 95% of employees fully trust their leaders. And, clearly, employees who trust their leaders are more engaged and higher performing themselves....

With 2024 half over, I suggest we take a break from our busy lives and return to big questions. Why wait for a crisis or the end of the year to reflect on what you are doing with “your one wild and precious life” as the poet Mary Oliver asks....

It’s a big week for celebrating nature with Earth Day today and Arbor Day on Friday. Each year in spring we are reminded we live in the Earth, not on the Earth, and with the trees and animals versus seeing them as nature’s attractions. We are all nature, and my hope is we soon come to our senses and take care of the Earth and ourselves in the process. I find lately my hope is chased by my fear it’s too late to change our destructive ways of living with the...

What if feeling overwhelmed was mostly in our heads? What would change if we became aware that “being” overwhelmed was a state of mind? And, what would it be like if we could simply walk away from our overwhelmed state of mind? There are many ways to approach being overwhelmed. For simplicity’s sake, I’ll break down the contributing factors into two buckets—what’s out there (our external environment, our world of relationships and systems), and what’s in here (our beliefs, thoughts, and emotions about the world out there)....

We know all relationships end, no matter how much we want them to last. We experience this self-evident truth when there is a breakup with a partner or friend, a valued employee leaves, or the ultimate ending, the death of a family member. All endings are inevitable and necessary to make way for new beginnings....

As I see it, the preeminent question for our time is – how will we cultivate peace in ourselves, with others, and in our world? Peace feels out of reach right now. Every day the news brings us a drumbeat of despair and desperation—so many lives lost to war, and so much vitriol in our society. Detaching from the news does not change the reality the world is in deep pain. For me, when I see children suffering and dying, it breaks my heart....

Wendy Palmer, author, aikido master, and teacher to leaders and coaches worldwide, passed last week. She is now an ancestor to her community and all those who will discover her legacy of Leadership Embodiment....

“Timing is Everything” is a proverb used in all walks of life. It is often associated with comedians telling jokes in such a way that they are well received and have the maximum effect....

How does going fast help me lead more efficiently and effectively? How does it limit my effectiveness? What would slowing down do for my leadership?...